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Saturday, 17 August 2013

Lavender and Honey Cakes

Lavender and Honey Cupcakes made from locally produced ingredients.

I am one lucky girl. Now I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but I have so
much to be grateful for and today I’m going to share them with you. Last weekend my parents threw me a party to celebrate getting
a distinction in the LPC and my new job.

I’m thankful not just for the party with copious amount of
Champagne, but for the opportunities and support they gave me growing up so
that I could get to where I am today and reach my full potential.

I’m also grateful for where I live surrounded by friends,
family and the countryside!

Wandering through Hitchin Lavender Fields, Ickleford

For the party I decided to make cakes and I’m lucky enough
to live somewhere where I can easily source local ingredients. Just a short
drive away we have lavender fields, pick your own fruit farms and local honey
producers. I wanted to make the most of all of these things before we move to
London and our only green space becomes an inner city allotment.With two jars of local honey in the cupboard, I already knew
that honey cakes would be on the menu but I wanted to add a twist.

Mr KG (another person I’m incredibly thankful for having n
my life after 8 and a half years together)and I decided to spend our Saturday walking through the local lavender fields
spotting bumblebees and butterflies amongst the flowers. They opened for the
first time this year and for just £4 per adult – with kids going free – you can
pick as much of their 15 varieties of lavender as you like! They even give you
a bag to carry it home in and scissors to do the cutting.

Floral fancies - Lavender infused Honey Cakes

They don’t just make their money by letting locals come and
cut their own. The lavender is also used in a number of food and beauty
products which you can buy in their barn shop. They also produce essential oils
(which I may have to stock up on!)

After browsing around the barn I came across their lavender honey
and it suddenly occurred to me that lavender and honey cakes were the twist I
was looking for! We’d seen in the hours we’d spent wandering the fields just
how much the bumble bees loved the lavender so I was sure that my family would
love the cakes too.

If you don’t fancy hand picking your own lavender to add fragrance
to your sugar or to decorate the top you can now buy lavender sugar in
supermarkets (such as Sainsbury’s and Waitrose). It would be fab if you could
use local honey in your cakes too, but any old jar of runny honey will do the
trick!

My favourite thing about these cakes is the delicacy of the
flavours. The honey gives the cakes a beautiful, deep golden finish but the
flavour is mellow and rich. The lavender gives a flowery note which dances on
your taste buds.

Bees collecting pollen to make honey for the cakes!

Here’s how to make them:

Top tips for making these cakes:

Create your own lavendar infused sugar but placing lavendar sprigs in a jar with your sugar. Give it a shake and leave at least overnight to infuse!

Don't panic if the mix is a little runnier than normal - that's just the honey!

To get the perfect rose swirl use a Wilton 1M nozle and pipe from the inside out.

Love your local producers and look for honey and lavender from your area.

About Me

I’m an aspiring lawyer who considers it a crime not to cook and eat great food.
Since graduating from The University of Nottingham, and starting the LPC at BPP Law School in Holborn, London I am cooking up a storm back in my parents’ kitchen in between sampling the best food in and around London.